because of a record can I not relocate to thailand?

[manarak]

Ok cool. But when you have to exut and reenter for your visa will they deny me? Because eventually ill be issued a warrant

If your original post is the whole story, I'd say it's crazy to get a criminal record because of that !

What country does this? USA?

[handlez]

I live in usa. Southern California. Normally with the vicadin they make you go to a class and no formal probation and no felony. I finished more than half but couldn't afford it and the dui class plus tickets and living expenses. The courts usually let you take the classes again if you need to go back. But the judge was not in the mood that day and just slapped the felony on me. It was an all time low and I was just getting by and not driving made life even harder. So I finally started getting back on my feet when I got the driving on a suspended again. What sucks is I only drive when I absolutely must. Boo hoo not your problem I know. Now I look at jail time and a huge fine again and maybe extended probation. I wasn't drunk on either duis I blew a .09 the second time which is barely above the legal limit of .08 but I have a prior which is zero tolerance, but I shouldve learned. My first was over 5 years ago and the second about 2 years. It usually doesn't last so long however the courts are so backed up with how many arrest have been made lately and I had to wait a year just to go to court while I didn't have a license. So if I had been able to get a court date I wouldve had a license already and no driving on a suspended. But it is what it is and I'm labeled a criminal now

[handlez]

The warrant will be issued for not checking with my po. Plus not facing the music for the driving on a suspended. Which is just a fine, but since I'm on formal probation it is a violation and could technically be up to 3 years. Thats really why I'm freaking out. 3 years for driving on a suspended

[dunque]

You will not have a problem entering the country.

Or you could try Australia - it used to be a prerequisite :-)

[handlez]

Heard australia is a bad place for digital nomads

[Maestro]

Your right. I just didn't realize having a couple vicadin was a felony. With such a small amount too. I would of been better off having weed!

I thought you said it was:

1. Vicodin, plus
2. DUI, plus
3. Driving while licence was suspended

[handlez]

Dui and driving on a suspended are not felonies

[handlez]

Maestro, are you here to help or prosecute me?

[wasntme]

Persecute probably...

Jokes aside..

Listen the advice has been sound but its just not getting through because you don't like it!! You really want your situation massaged, yet you are on the cusp of creating serious ongoing problems from which you may never be able to fully escape from or redeem. Don't take that kind of baggage forward. I could tell you some stories but really you just need to knuckle down here.

Edited September 5, 2014 by wasntme

[thaibreaker]

Sorry, OP, but there is just no way I can see a good ending here.

Besides the trouble with renewal of your passport (seems not fixable), and the fact that you can never work legally here because of the checkups (and believe me, if you work somewhere here, you want to be legal..), you will have one more main headache.

You will struggle finding the proper visa for you. If you end up with a long overstay in the future, you will be f..uckd, with the new rules starting soon.

As young as you seem to be, you have very few options. And most of them include spending quite a bit of money. You can get an ED visa (language learning etc.) that you probably can use for a couple of years, and every time you renew those, you must pray for the immigration not do do any further checks on you.

And you can apply for a so called marriage visa. But that gives you a few commitments you should consider in your situasion.

Before you pass 50 years old and can get a retirement visa, which also costs, you can find yourself overstaying number of times. And believe me, this is not the time to do that in Thailand. It never was, but now it is definitely not. The places to "hide" if you choose that road, are just slimming fast down to none.

It all comes down to your choice, but I really think you will waste a very good opportunity to stay in Thailand for a long time later, by rushing over at this time in your life. I just see too many obstacles for you. There are many examples of people "drowning" here. People with the same plans and hopes as yourself.

Bad choice IMHO, my advice is spend your next couple of years wisely, and move from there.

Good luck!

Edited September 6, 2014 by thaibreaker

[hopdafru]

Thanks everyone for your post. Really helps. I just panicked because I might do jail time and right when I was getting cash to get my startups up and running. Ill ask my probation officer if it is possible however it is more of a 5% chance of being accepted. Look, I work hard and I'm stupid for the dui. I've made mistakes but I took being stupid for being creative and adventerous. So this is my solution, please keep the comments coming bad, good, even the guys who think there better than everyone else. Since I can't start my business and I can't make money at a job. If I am going to do time, I plan on investing my money so it can grow while locked up. The only thing keeping me here is not fear of being caught in the future but fear of not being able to see my family and visit. Go to my parents funerals when they pass. Meet my nieces and nephews when my sisters have kids. I guess I'm a coward for not going but I can also be a coward for not staying. Its easy to judge when yoy have none of these problems. Ill keep you posted on this in the upcoming months. Hopefully I don't panic and leave. Lol

Is it really possible in your case (felony + probation officer) to just purchase an airplane ticket and leave the country? If so there must be some procedure beforehand and the trip must make sense to the authoriies...

If you can't make it out of the country you're better off using you intelligence figuring out what to do in the US for the next 2.5 years (a previous poster has a few ideas - you could also reflect on what got you where you're currently at). You can always come to Thailand then and compare the reality here with your current expectations.

Good luck and I hope you at least find a way to drive around in CA, not fun for sure riding the bus.

[wasntme]

.. but I just want to live a good life

Last comment from me as there is a lot in this phrase.

This is a mantra for most refugees fleeing. Their circumstances in country of origin are vastly different, by and large, and they will find great benefits in a welfare state sympathetic to their plight once resettled. Hence their ambitions. Most patriated refugees even return home periodically and are able to assist relatives there. But able to return back again with their new passport to their new country of residence.

The paradox for you is that you do not wish to have problems in CA going forward for stated family reasons but cannot avoid this if you buck the system. And you are or sound too young to make such a final call. Furthermore, there is no welfare in Thailand for you and work for unskilled farangs is very unsympathetic. Things can be very tough in Thailand for those with out a safety net and the smallest of hiccups and you are screwed without the option of being able to return with ease.

And 'a hiccup' you will have in thailand as almost everyone can attest to. You need to be seriously funded and don't sound like it.

Not being mean, but rather hope you take this as 'tough love', it seems you have created a thread to dialogue with your own voices rattling around in your head because this can't go anywhere sensible.

[Si Thea01]

You will not have a problem entering the country.

Hi, I have been reading you posts and it appears you are quite knowledgeable about Thai laws. Can you advise me on one matter. My son had a number of convictions when he was a young teenager and in early adult life. No problems in past 20 years. He now wants to visit me in Thailand but I am concerned when he declares on his entry form that he has criminal convictions that they will bar him from entering Thailand. I don't want him to b e disappointed and I do not condone lying on his arrival card. What, if any, suggestions can you offer.

Thanks in anticipation.

Si Thea 01

[thaimeister]

The trouble with Californians is they are all from California !!

[ukrules]

You will not have a problem entering the country.

Hi, I have been reading you posts and it appears you are quite knowledgeable about Thai laws. Can you advise me on one matter. My son had a number of convictions when he was a young teenager and in early adult life. No problems in past 20 years. He now wants to visit me in Thailand but I am concerned when he declares on his entry form that he has criminal convictions that they will bar him from entering Thailand. I don't want him to b e disappointed and I do not condone lying on his arrival card. What, if any, suggestions can you offer.

Thanks in anticipation.

Si Thea 01

There's no mention of anything about criminal convictions on the arrival card.

This is the arrival card which you will in to enter Thailand :

If you're in Thailand then you will have filled one of these out each time you arrive.

On the back they ask some mundane questions about your job and earnings, nothing more than that.

Edited September 6, 2014 by ukrules

[ubonjoe]

You will not have a problem entering the country.

Hi, I have been reading you posts and it appears you are quite knowledgeable about Thai laws. Can you advise me on one matter. My son had a number of convictions when he was a young teenager and in early adult life. No problems in past 20 years. He now wants to visit me in Thailand but I am concerned when he declares on his entry form that he has criminal convictions that they will bar him from entering Thailand. I don't want him to b e disappointed and I do not condone lying on his arrival card. What, if any, suggestions can you offer.

Thanks in anticipation.

Si Thea 01

There is no space on the arrival card where they ask about criminal convictions unless it has been added recently.

Even if there was a space for it there would be no way they could check to see if what you put on it was correct or not.

[gyrosman]

I've read the replies from members of this form about this person who is in deep shit. Well, some members have not been in the USA for a long time or have never had trouble with the law like Cal. man here. But, with todays threat level in the USA at stage 4 and stupid Americans trying to support the IS and all of the other threats in my country, do you think you'll make it pass customs in the USA aiport. I think not. I had a Dui only several years ago and my passport, license, were tagged within 24 hours. I only had a misdeminnor charge not a FELONY. He'll have plenty of time to reflect and prefect his plans with about 6-12 months in jail. And I'm sure he'll break probation rules before that. Didn't know other peoples Meds were Illegal bull everyone knows!

Once he runs that's a life changer!

[hhfarang]

How would you stay in Thailand. You're too young for a long stay visa based on retirement, not married to a Thai I assume (I didn't read the whole thread), and can't get a work permit because of your felony. You have to have some kind of visa to live here and they are cracking down on Visa runners who just jump out and in every 3 months to get a new O visa. Even if you want to live here, I don't think you can come for more than a few months, then you would have to leave and face the consequences of breaking your probation.

[technologybytes]

I also have a criminal record 'Summer holiday' by Cliff Richard.

In England a criminal record is often referred to as a Police record. I have "Walking on the Moon"

[Strangebrew]

Dude best you stay put why risk the off chance of visiting hotel Bangkok. Philippines maybe you cup of tea .

[OJAS]

Have you not thought about relocating within the USA? After all it's a pretty big country, and I'm sure that there are plenty of places you could live in that are far cheaper than Southern California.

You Americans are, indeed, extremely fortunate in this regard. We poor Brits, on the other hand, only have a small island within which we can relocate - and which may become even smaller following the Scottish independence referendum the week after next

[samran]

OP hasn't got enough money to rub two sticks together but has enough for a flight, accom set up and the rest of it, including the visa runs?

Gimmie a T...

[Jbax]

Hi--

If you have a passport and are off probation (and not on a Homeland Security "No Fly" list) you won't have any problem coming to Thailand. Thai authorities do not conduct a police check in the immigration process for US citizens. If you're on probation, is it supervised? If it is, you're stuck. Unsupervised? You'll need to confirm your ability to relocate. The last thing you need is to be violated and have a PV warrant issued... you'd be in far worse shape. Retain multiple copies of paperwork concerning your parole/travel status.

First off, you'll need a R/T plane ticket just to get here (a much cheaper option is to show a ticket to Kuala Lumpur 30 days from your arrival date)... all the airlines and Thai Immigration wants at first is you demonstrating you're going to LEAVE in a month. Most airlines won't let you board a plane to Thailand on a 1-way ticket.

A 30-day travel visa for Americans is virtually automatic on arrival in Bangkok.

But how do you plan to stay?

Okay...If you're over 50 and meet the income requirements (which are roughly $2300 a month) or can deposit 800,000 baht in a Thai bank (Google the time requirements) you can score the loosely termed "retirement visa" (it's actually just a permit that allows you to remain in Thailand indefinitely, provided you provide residency updates every 90 days. And this Visa will require you to jump through a couple of hoops to obtain: you'd need to score a 2-month extension, provide a notarized financial statement ($75 notary fee from the US consulate--- where they'd likely review your passport/travel status in the process: a potential problem area if you're not clear of probation restrictions), submit Thai-sized passport photos and fill out lots of paperwork written in Thai. Frankly, there's other countries (Philippines, Ecuador, Panama) that have easier, less expensive processes.

But I'm guessing you're under 50. Why Thailand? This country isn't open to foreigners coming here to work. There's been a military coup that's come down hard on foreigners caught skirting Thai immigration laws. You won't be able to work (legally) and other options (Education visas and tourist extensions that used to be winked at by border runs) are being heavily scrutinized. You can still theoretically score a business visa (again, Google the requirements) but this requires deep pockets and a willingness/ability to employ the minimum number of Thais--- and Thailand has a long sordid history of what happens to foreigners who become even moderately successful. TV members have colorful stories on the subject.

Thailand can be an amazing experience... but it's definitely not the US. This is NOT a 3rd world country but still has serious issues with infrastructure (flooding, an unstable and often dangerous electrical grid, a weird unsafe transportation system and very dangerous roads). The language barrier is intimidating. The cost of living varies wildly between the coastal areas (especially resorts) and inland areas. They drive like crazed maniacs (imagine Mexico City, except on scooters). You won't be able to buy property (except in condo situations under specific conditions, and with the assistance of a competent attorney)--- and the women here are a whole subject themselves.

The Thai banking system is also strange: outrageous ATM fees (if you think paying $2.50 at a 7/11 in Pasadena sucks, wait till you pay 180 baht--- $6--- a shot here). I could go into specifics about the food, booze, women, etc. but won't... but you'd need to forget any ideas you've heard about being able to live like a king here on $550 a month per some Youtube video hype. Can it be done? Yeah... but you won't like it. You'll want things like AC, a beer, an occasional movie, Wifi (and the internet is censored here), hot water, an occasional trip to the beach, a medical emergency fund and have enough bucks set aside for a trip home (or a Plan B escape plan should circumstances arise). Here in Chiang Mai it takes $1000 a month to have any kind of a lifestyle--- double that or more on the coast.

And another thing: Thailand is not the pace to be if you want to get high. Sooner or later you'll get caught up in a world of crap trying to score or get caught holding. This isn't the Thailand of the 70's anymore. You get caught, life will become a nightmare fast. Develop a taste for Chang or Leo Beer instead... and get used to a can of beer costing more than a meal.

Again, there may be other countries you should explore: Ecuador has ridiculousy low income requirements (and an easier language barrier). The Philippines has an even lower cost of living (outside of Manila), but gets very primitive very fast.

I love Thailand, but am always hyper aware that I'll always be a foreigner here. If you forget that, Thailand has a million ways to remind you.

[Strangebrew]

As one poster has put due to the current security at US airports I think You would make as far as ticket counter before being arrested and another charge on your sorry butt. Your best bet is stay state get your life together get a job save your money pay your taxes then after a number of years come for a visit.

[poweratradio]

How depressing. I have 2 1/2 years to go

Be a good boy. That time will pass quickly. You could also get a lawyer and take your case back in front of a judge and try and get the terms of your probation adjusted more to your liking. Good character reports and refs IE saving drowning babies and animals out of sealed cars on hot sunny days.

[F4UCorsair]

For Thailand a criminal record isn't compulsory

only for Australia...

Sorry folks, couldn't help.

200 years ago it was, so you're 200 years out of whack with your comment.

[F4UCorsair]

The warrant will be issued for not checking with my po. Plus not facing the music for the driving on a suspended. Which is just a fine, but since I'm on formal probation it is a violation and could technically be up to 3 years. Thats really why I'm freaking out. 3 years for driving on a suspended

You play the game......you take the knocks.

Lot of 'ifs' in the case you put for yourself.

What about these 'ifs'? If I hadn't driven whilst over .08 this would never have happened. If I hadn't driven again before my hearing came up, I wouldn't have had a 'driving while suspended'.

Man, this is not rocket science!!! It's common sense.

Use a little common sense now and toe the line, no matter how inconvenient it is.

Having said that, I reiterate what I said early in this thread. I think you're trolling.

[maccastime]

Just a thought,i assume you are getting an o/a visa or some other visa? if just a tourist visa no dramas there,however if you intend to get an o/a visa in your country,this will require a medical report,and a full police criminal record check,once you have this,and have all notarized etc,the Thai Embassy will check the records thoroughly as they did with me,i was sweet however had a mate who got knocked back,as he had a few issues on his slate.

[larsjohnsson]

Just a thought,i assume you are getting an o/a visa or some other visa? if just a tourist visa no dramas there,however if you intend to get an o/a visa in your country,this will require a medical report,and a full police criminal record check,once you have this,and have all notarized etc,the Thai Embassy will check the records thoroughly as they did with me,i was sweet however had a mate who got knocked back,as he had a few issues on his slate.

O-A visa is only for people that are older than 50 years

[Tomtomtom69]

Heard australia is a bad place for digital nomads

What a ridiculous and thoughtless comment. How is Australia worse than Thailand for being a digital nomad?! Australia is a developed country, has world class infrastructure and most importantly for a digital nomad, there may actually be a way of staying long term, gaining residency and citizenship. None of those things apply to Thailand. While the infrastructure in Thailand is fairly decent, it's suffering under the strain of too many vehicles, not enough roads, badly maintained roads, power outages, flooding etc. Also, let's not forget that quite a number of websites are censored in Thailand (though obviously this shouldn't affect most people as the affected websites are usually those pertaining to anything deemed to be against the Monarchy or the Thai state, not Google, Twitter, Facebook etc. which are currently blocked in China and require a VPN to access). Still, with a military government in power, freedom of speech in Thailand has been strictly curtailed.

Australia, unlike Thailand is a developed, immigrant receiving multicultural nation. Thailand on the other hand does not want or need immigrants and thus makes it very hard to stay long term, except on yearly visa renewals, which can only be given under 3 main paths - employment, retirement or family reasons (usually marriage) but all of these have strict income or savings requirements - not everyone will qualify for extensions. Permanent residency is rare and said to be even more difficult than citizenship, which has recently become easier for those married to Thais but the criteria is so strict that few people will qualify.

When it comes to living in Thailand as a digital nomad, you would be nothing more than a permanent tourist with no rights to anything, no land ownership, can't open a bank account with internet banking access (only a normal savings account can be opened but that's about it), and no rights to work. You would be at the mercy of constantly changing immigration laws and might have to consider leaving very quickly should the government in power decide to further crackdown on what it sees as abusers of tourist visas.

While the concept of what denotes "work" has been debated many times here on TV and being a digital nomad is usually seen as OK provided you don't deal directly with Thailand or Thai clients, you mentioned you would have clients here or would try to find some. That would be considered work and thus you'd be in breach of your visa conditions and could be expelled.

Therefore I don't think Thailand is any better than Australia as a place for a digital nomad. In fact in many ways it's a lot, lot worse. The only advantages of Thailand over Australia for a digital nomad is that it's cheaper and has year-round warm weather (comparable only to Australia's tropical Top End except with the seasons reversed), while Australia's disadvantages are that it's quite likely you would be interrogated upon arrival regarding your criminal record and fleeing from probation would likely to be grounds to deny entry, even as a tourist. A second disadvantage is that Australia is very expensive, these days prices are as high as the more expensive American cities if not higher, particularly in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth (the latter due to the mining boom), though all parts of Australia are considered to be quite expensive.